When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights
are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism,
militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered. - Dr. Martin Luther King
Devon Douglas-Bowers
On September 11th, I will be attending an anti-drone demonstration
in Union Square, NYC. This will be my first protest and I am quite
excited. Obviously, the main goal of this demonstration is to protest
against the use of drones around the world which kill innocents under
the guise of attacking terrorists. While I welcome this protest, we must
realize that this demonstration is not enough; that focusing on drones
is not enough - we must battle the 'War On Terror' overall, as drones
are only a small part of that.
The global drone attacks started under Bush and have continued and
massively expanded under Obama, with Obama going so far as to
assassinate four US citizens (officially speaking). Yet, while this is
extremely problematic, it is a symptom of America's global militarism.
Contrary to popular thinking, this global militarism didn't start in the
Bush era, but rather in the time of FDR, with World War II, and has
continued and intensified since then. The US has, overtly, either
already been involved in or started new wars/conflicts every single
decade since the 1940s. This has created destruction all over the world,
not just physically in terms of destroyed infrastructure, but mentally[1], historically[2], economically[3], and socially [4].
However, the problems go beyond just the military sphere. It has leaked into American society, and specifically into the social realm and how the American people relate to our government.
However, the problems go beyond just the military sphere. It has leaked into American society, and specifically into the social realm and how the American people relate to our government.
